Publishing documents using low cost media has historically been accomplished using offset presses. Offset presses provide high quality text and images very efficiently and have become an industry standard. Because of the pervasiveness, the cost of the offset media is very low. Offset presses are efficient when large quantities of a single recurring image or page are desired. However, the presses become less desirable as quantities of a single image are reduced because with offset printing presses, each run is set up separately by the operator, thus causing an increase time and expense. Stated another way, offset printing can be less effective when variability of prints is desired, making other solutions more attractive in some circumstances.
In recent years, digital presses such as inkjet web presses have been developed that are able to displace offset printing with smaller run sizes or for fully variable printing. However, for aqueous inkjet web presses, the cost per print can be relatively high due to a higher media cost. More specifically, with these digital web presses that utilize aqueous-based inkjet inks, it is not a simple matter of simply using the inkjet ink on existing offset press media, as the inks and media do not typically have compatible enough properties to provide a pleasing end result for customers. For example, water (present in relatively large quantities in aqueous inkjet inks) tends to swell offset media resulting in a problem called “cockle” in which variability in water-based swelling causes thin publishing medias to buckle, leaving the resultant images in an unacceptable wavy state that is not appealing.
Reference will now be made to several examples that are illustrated herein, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended.